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Kia recalls nearly 73,000 Rio models over airbag issue

Due to a potentially faulty sensor mat, Kia is voluntarily recallingKia Rio models from the 2006 to 2008 model years. The sensor in the passenger's seat is susceptible to cracking from fatigue. If that happens, it may not be able to detect whether a child is in the seat, nor will it be able to adjust the airbag deployment settings so as not to deploy if there is a child present.

Summary:
KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.

Consequence:
AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THAT CHILD.

Remedy:
KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

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Ask people who own them and they will probably tell you that they appreciate the reliability of their Rio. They aren't a bad vehicle. Don't hate just because you're on some sort of anti-Kia bandwagon. It's silly.

I have one as well. 2008 with 50,000 miles. I had one issue and that was a wheel bearing at 40,000 miles. I live in Cleveland and the roads are like the moon surface so I can't even see that as a big deal. 4 years old and it still looks exactly like the above photo. So far one of the most reliable cars I have owned. And I still have 50,000 miles of warranty left.

I know a guy that has one. He says it gets decent MPG's but he will only drive it to work and back (around 15 miles round trip) because he says it is not reliable enough for long trips. That comes from a Kia Rio owner,.....

I have a 2007 used Kia Rio. I have had it for a few months now and ever since buying it, my passenger airbag indicator always says it is off even when someone is sitting in the passenger side. I got a letter in the mail regarding the recall and I am guessing the passenger airbag is not on due to this recall. I am calling the Kia dealership to get this fixed!